Mary Louise Hancock and George Twigg III died last week. Some of their friends might be surprised that we write of them together, but the two were illustrative of what has made New Hampshire special.

Hancock and Twigg were polar opposites when it came to politics. She was a liberal Democrat, he a conservative Republican. What made them both special is the passion that infused their political beliefs, and the tenacity and wit they used to express them.

That last attribute, wit, may have been the most important. Both had a gleam in their eye when they were throwing a political punch, or taking one. They took their beliefs seriously but themselves not so much.

In her later years, Mary Louise Hancock was known as an important figure in the state Democratic Party, both for her work (a state senator from Concord) and her sage advice to candidates from President on down. But she had a successful career as New Hampshire state planning director before that. The polio that hit her as a babe only made her stronger.

As for George Twigg, if there was a picture to go with the dictionary definition of "volunteer," it would be his.

Decades of running up and down basketball courts as a referee kept George trim. He reveled in boosting dogsled racing in the Lakes Region. He served the state on the eminent domain commission and then its successor, the Board of Tax and Land Appeals.

His auctioneering skills were put to good use as volunteer auctioneer for years on New Hampshire Public TV's annual auction.

His political passion led him to work on campaigns for Meldrim Thomson, Mitt Romney, and George W. Bush.

If there is a sign-up sheet for politics in Heaven, we have no doubt two names have been added.

It's winter vacation season for some of us. It's time to grab the skis or snowboard and hit the slopes, or do some cross country skiing, snowshoe trekking, or tubing. We found some events to get you...